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Kennewick district reports fixture-level lead exceedances; 38 fixtures remediated or taken out of service
Summary
Testing at 19 district sites found 11 fixtures above 15 ppb (EPA action level) and 27 between 5 and 15 ppb; the district replaced or removed 38 fixtures, will resample affected fixtures and will not return them to service until results meet the state target of below 5 ppb.
District facilities staff reported results from Department of Health-led testing for lead in drinking water at 19 district sites built before 2016.
"We tested 19 sites... of the 1000, over 1000 fixtures that we tested, we found that 11 were actually above the part 15 parts per billion, which is the EPA standard," Ryan told the board, and an additional 27 fixtures tested between 5 and 15 parts per billion (the Washington State Department of Health target range for further action). The district said it removed affected fixtures from service, replaced most fixtures, and took others permanently out of service (for example, an unused portable converted to storage).
The district described its remediation approach as replacing fixtures as the baseline strategy and scheduling resampling through the Department of Health. Two specific fixtures (513 and 519) were slated for resampling and results were expected in the following weeks; fixtures will not be returned to service until resamples show levels below 5 ppb.
Facilities staff said many elevated results came from fixtures that see little or no regular use (pot fillers, prep sinks), where stagnant water can concentrate lead. Staff also discussed operational mitigations such as periodic flushing, custodial training, and targeted maintenance to reduce future risk.
The board asked whether the findings represented a systemic plumbing issue; staff said the evidence suggests fixture-level problems rather than a districtwide systemic contamination and that replacements addressed the identified fixtures.
